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Dan HajduckESPN
A Kobe Bryant card went private last week for $2 million, PWCC Marketplace announced Tuesday, the highest level a Bryant card has ever yielded.
The sale is notable in that the card – Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Emerald 1997-98 – is not a rookie card, nor is it a signed or memorabilia card model used in the game.
The Bryant card becomes the latest card in basketball to break the $2 million threshold, joining multiple LeBron James RPA (rookie patch signatures), a Luka Doncic Logoman auto and an auto tag for a used jersey used in the Michael Jordan All Star Game. James holds the record with the 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection RPA tandem card that sold for $5.2 million in April 2021.
Although the Bryant card is 004/100, only the 1-10 cards are emerald in this set; card 11-100 of the Precious Metal Gemstone insert is red. Beckett Media once called Precious Metal Gems comparable to “some of the most coveted postwar sports cards, period.”
The Bryant Card received an 8.5 from Beckett’s Scoring Service, tied for arguably the best example of this card. The PSA’s highest rated version of the emerald tandem is 7.
“This is arguably the best Kobe card in existence,” said Jesse Craig, business development manager at PWCC. “Its [difficult] to find them in any condition – and because of their fragile nature, to find one in such good condition is extremely rare. “
These eras of Metallic Universe cards are praised for their futuristic backgrounds and extraterrestrial animations, which are placed behind realistic images of the player. It’s because of the card’s artwork and foil surface that the edges are often stained and the card peels off easily.
In an interesting twist, the Metal Universe Kobe Bryant 1997-98 cards – the bases and similarities, including this record sale – are numbered 81 in a set of 123 cards. Bryant famously scored 81 points on January 22, 2006, the second-most points in a single game in NBA history.
